• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

Mark Levinson Replica Amp

FrantzM

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Mar 12, 2016
Messages
4,337
Likes
7,734
You can get a JOB made by Goldmund for under $2,000.

The Job Integrated , a complete system with DAC BTW, should be tested by our Esteemed, Courageous, Magnanimous (and darn it!!) SUPREME and ( I am not stopping) FEARLESS Leader .... or one of his fellow ASRists ... I couldn't help but post here a snippet from the 6moons review
Though analog in (pu) did show a small loss in quicksilvery directness like a very fine veil
 
Last edited:

amirm

Founder/Admin
Staff Member
CFO (Chief Fun Officer)
Joined
Feb 13, 2016
Messages
44,374
Likes
234,453
Location
Seattle Area
The Job Integrated , a complete system with DAC BTW and if I should be tested by our Esteemed, Courageous, Magnanimous (and darn it!!) SUPREME and ( I am not stopping) FEARLESS Leader .... or one of his fellow ASRists ...
This king is wealthy but at $2,000, he is too damn cheap to buy said unit on his own. :)
 

Frank Dernie

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Mar 24, 2016
Messages
6,445
Likes
15,781
Location
Oxfordshire
Thank you very kindly, dear experts, for your most appreciated advice!

You saved me quite a bit of dough: I almost pulled the trigger on one of the ML clones. Glad I asked you first!

The Job INT (upgrade from 225?) looks interesting indeed. Just a couple of points: digital volume control, and no balanced input…

I am not familiar with class D designs: can they REALLY sound like class A (think PASS Labs XA series, e.g.)? Are they not equipped with SMPS? Are they capable of providing adequate power bandwidth? Anyway, this UK-based outfit, Nord, does offer a few models looking good on paper… Any first-hand listening impressions? And how do they compare in terms of price/performance ratio to the competition?

Please chime in!
The Job INTegrated is based on a different Goldmund model from the 225, so not really an upgrade (probably slightly lower spec actually but you get a preamp and Dac for the same price).

Job is the pro division of Goldmund (they bought Job just over 20 years ago to obtain their IP)
Nowadays Job equipment is effectively Goldmund in a very much less expensive case often with a slightly simpler power supply and supplied direct so no distributor or retailer margin.
Goldmund always recommended single ended connections over balanced in their kit, though they don't any longer, but that could be pandering to fashion.
I don't see why any competently engineered SMPS should harm the performance of any other competently engineered elements of a hifi system. Maybe there is too much badly engineered stuff about?
 

Frank Dernie

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Mar 24, 2016
Messages
6,445
Likes
15,781
Location
Oxfordshire
In the past, Goldmund marketed Stellavox as its pro division. Stellavox made small reel-to-reel tape recorders reputed to be a bit better than Nagra's before Goldmund bought the company and used the brand to market JOB-circuit amps and lightweight preamps to professionals.
Indeed.
I have a StellaDAT which is a most exquisitely made thing. I made some superb recordings on it back in the day. Sadly it seems to have lost its boot up programme possibly because I left the battery on it and it went flat.
They do indeed use the Stellavox name for the pro products but they sold part on to a company who wanted to continue making the recorders and since then they went back to the Job name for direct sales and the Stella stuff is via dealers and more like rebadged original Job.
The first Job amp, pre Goldmund, was a simple box with a 10 turn volume pot on the front. I remember hearing one at Station 2001 in Mantes-la-Jolie in the mid 1990s.
All subsequent Goldmund, Stellavox and Job amps used the Job circuit afaik and maybe still do.
I have a pair of Mimesis 29.4 amps which weigh 65kg each and haven't been used or moved in years! Back then all Goldmund's larger power amps had the same main circuit board, iirc just with more output devices and bigger power supplies as you went up the range.
I haven't used them since I bought a Devialet D-Premier but the Job is a good choice for me since it is small and light so I can use it anywhere..
 

Sir Sanders Zingmore

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Forum Donor
Joined
May 20, 2018
Messages
948
Likes
1,899
Location
Melbourne, Australia
I am not familiar with class D designs: can they REALLY sound like class A (think PASS Labs XA series, e.g.)?

As a single data point (for what that’s worth), I have a Devialet 120 (some kind of hybrid class D with class A). I also have a Line Magnetic 219ia (a stonking beast of class A inefficiency).

I did a blind test between them and couldn’t tell them apart..... go figure
 

Krunok

Major Contributor
Joined
Mar 25, 2018
Messages
4,600
Likes
3,065
Location
Zg, Cro
As a single data point (for what that’s worth), I have a Devialet 120 (some kind of hybrid class D with class A). I also have a Line Magnetic 219ia (a stonking beast of class A inefficiency).

I did a blind test between them and couldn’t tell them apart..... go figure

My setup is to some point similar to yours: I have Rotel RMB 1075 (deployed as 140W stereo amp with 660W power supply) and Audio Aero Capitol (tube amp, 50W in class A). In a blind test I can't tell them apart as well.

Your Devialet 120 is a state of the art of modern technology and I admire it as an engineer, but I probably couldn't be able to tell it apart from a decent $1000 amp in a blind test.
 

sergeauckland

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Mar 16, 2016
Messages
3,440
Likes
9,100
Location
Suffolk UK
My setup is to some point similar to yours: I have Rotel RMB 1075 (deployed as 140W stereo amp with 660W power supply) and Audio Aero Capitol (tube amp, 50W in class A). In a blind test I can't tell them apart as well.

Your Devialet 120 is a state of the art of modern technology and I admire it as an engineer, but I probably couldn't be able to tell it apart from a decent $1000 amp in a blind test.
And why would you? If the decent amplifier is decent enough for transparency, then any other similarly decent (hence transparent) amplifier will be indistinguishable. If two amplifiers are distinguishable, then one or both can't be transparent.
S
 

Krunok

Major Contributor
Joined
Mar 25, 2018
Messages
4,600
Likes
3,065
Location
Zg, Cro
And why would you? If the decent amplifier is decent enough for transparency, then any other similarly decent (hence transparent) amplifier will be indistinguishable. If two amplifiers are distinguishable, then one or both can't be transparent.
S

I cannot agree more.
 

TBone

Major Contributor
Joined
Mar 16, 2016
Messages
1,191
Likes
348
My setup is to some point similar to yours: I have Rotel RMB 1075 (deployed as 140W stereo amp with 660W power supply) and Audio Aero Capitol (tube amp, 50W in class A). In a blind test I can't tell them apart as well.

I had similar Rotels, forget the model#, rated 150w. Also bridged 2 into mono for a time. Then a really nice SIM 250w amp, and a 150w ATI (SAE roots). The ATI was a real surprise, intended as a temp, I lived with that amp for many many years without ever feeling the need for change. It may have been the least costly amp out of the bunch, iirc ~$700, but of all my old amps, I remember that little tank of an amp most fondly. (gave it to a close friend who abuses it daily)

A pair of mono 100w Classe DR3's have since long graced my system.[/QUOTE][/QUOTE]
 

Krunok

Major Contributor
Joined
Mar 25, 2018
Messages
4,600
Likes
3,065
Location
Zg, Cro
I had similar Rotels, forget the model#, rated 150w. Also bridged 2 into mono for a time. Then a really nice SIM 250w amp, and a 150w ATI (SAE roots). The ATI was a real surprise, intended as a temp, I lived with that amp for many many years without ever feeling the need for change. It may have been the least costly amp out of the bunch, iirc ~$700, but of all my old amps, I remember that little tank of an amp most fondly. (gave it to a close friend who abuses it daily)

A pair of mono 100w Classe DR3's have since long graced my system.
[/QUOTE][/QUOTE]

Easy to understand as Classe DR3 is a beautifully designed amp for which I'm sure it plays extremely well. :)

Btw, my Rotel RMB 1075 is not bridged. At that time Rotel started to manufacture TXH certified amps for AV use but internally it has been built of 5 identical mono blocks - the same ones they were using inside stereo amps. Nominal power is rated at 5 * 120W, but when only 2 channels are driven the output raises to 140W thanks to it's power supply consisting of 1.5 kVA toroidal transformer and 8*10.000 µF slit-foil capacitors. MSRP was $1200, which I found reasonable for such amp. I was so impressed with it's ability to play consistently whatever you throw at it that I decided to keep it. It's been with me now for 15 years. :)
 

Blumlein 88

Grand Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Feb 23, 2016
Messages
20,524
Likes
37,057
I had similar Rotels, forget the model#, rated 150w. Also bridged 2 into mono for a time. Then a really nice SIM 250w amp, and a 150w ATI (SAE roots). The ATI was a real surprise, intended as a temp, I lived with that amp for many many years without ever feeling the need for change. It may have been the least costly amp out of the bunch, iirc ~$700, but of all my old amps, I remember that little tank of an amp most fondly. (gave it to a close friend who abuses it daily)

A pair of mono 100w Classe DR3's have since long graced my system.
Yes, I once owned some Classe DR3 VHC amps. Very nice. I also had some Classe 25 amps. A pair of 25's bridged will play Soundlabs very nicely as they should at 1 kwatt per channel. Yet my Wyred4Sound ST500 is better.
 

TBone

Major Contributor
Joined
Mar 16, 2016
Messages
1,191
Likes
348
Yes, I once owned some Classe DR3 VHC amps. Very nice. I also had some Classe 25 amps. A pair of 25's bridged will play Soundlabs very nicely as they should at 1 kwatt per channel. Yet my Wyred4Sound ST500 is better.

Hi Dennis ...

Two DR3's eat enough (too much) electricity, and supply enough heat (too much) for me. One VHC would do likewise, two, maybe unbearable ...

Another old amp, and perhaps my fav Classe amp for recommendation, at the time, was the DR9. That said, once Glen Grue took over Classe, and proceeded to "change" (I'm being nice) the line, I lost interest in their products - quickly.

1527691950659.png

Notice the blue tape on the right amp (the left has red tape) ... that bc when I take em apart (about once every two years or so ...) I need to keep the internals identifiable (and my mods & parts listing is coded red/blue) on assembly. What bothers me no-end ... is my silly insistence of using Red for left.ch and Blue for right.ch (when it really should be the other way around). Also notice the brass cone sitting on the heat sink - when visitors ask about 'em (which is the norm) - I suggest they pick em up - to use as hand warmers.
 
Last edited:

TBone

Major Contributor
Joined
Mar 16, 2016
Messages
1,191
Likes
348
Easy to understand as Classe DR3 is a beautifully designed amp for which I'm sure it plays extremely well. :)

Btw, my Rotel RMB 1075 is not bridged. At that time Rotel started to manufacture TXH certified amps for AV use but internally it has been built of 5 identical mono blocks - the same ones they were using inside stereo amps. Nominal power is rated at 5 * 120W, but when only 2 channels are driven the output raises to 140W thanks to it's power supply consisting of 1.5 kVA toroidal transformer and 8*10.000 µF slit-foil capacitors. MSRP was $1200, which I found reasonable for such amp. I was so impressed with it's ability to play consistently whatever you throw at it that I decided to keep it. It's been with me now for 15 years. :)

I luv my DR3's, although they are ugly (I prefer the term "industrial") but certainly, they are not for everyone.

The bridged Rotels didn't work all that well in my system (my speakers are relatively hard to drive/grip). In stereo mode, they performed better, but seemed to lack headroom. Unlike the Rotel, the mono DR3s grip nicely. They maybe rated at only 100w (the least powerful amps I've had in my system, on paper) but, except perhaps the SIM, they appear to sound much more powerful . That said, I kinda wish I kept the little tank (ATI), it may run warm, but it would have been a much better choice during the summer heat waves.
 

Sir Sanders Zingmore

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Forum Donor
Joined
May 20, 2018
Messages
948
Likes
1,899
Location
Melbourne, Australia
Yes the ST500 handles the difficult load of the Soundlabs better.

Makes sense. I think the way an amp interacts with various speaker loads will affect its sound.
Two amps that can drive the same speakers without clipping and with sufficient linearity should sound almost indistinguishable.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean those two amps will sound the same on a different set of speakers
 

Krunok

Major Contributor
Joined
Mar 25, 2018
Messages
4,600
Likes
3,065
Location
Zg, Cro
In stereo mode, they performed better, but seemed to lack headroom.

What exactly do you mean when you say "headroom"?

Unlike the Rotel, the mono DR3s grip nicely. They maybe rated at only 100w (the least powerful amps I've had in my system, on paper) but, except perhaps the SIM, they appear to sound much more powerful .

I don't really believe in subjective impressions that are not backed up with specs/measurements. I strongly believe my Rotel which has 1.5kVA power supply, 140W in stereo mode, 0.03% THD when driven from 1W to 140W can eat my class A tube amp for breakfast in all scenarios except when you give them to drive speakers with very low impedance. In that case Rotel may experience some problems as any other solid state amp would, while my tube amp wouldn't even notice that as it's outputs can literally be shorted and it will continue to work. Luckilly, modern speakers don't really have such low impedance issues as before.
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom